Local Missions
LOCAL MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
Awaken: Zion supports Awaken, a community of young adults walking together in life-giving community and discipleship, devoted to awakening hearts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a dynamic drama presentation. Awaken is a team of college students that tour the midwest sharing the Gospel through their performances. www.awakenonline.org
Blood Drives: Zion cooperates with St. Mary's of Nazareth Catholic Church to host several blood drives annually for the Blood Center of Iowa. One pint of blood can save up to three lives, and someone needs blood every two seconds. Please consider rolling up your sleeve to donate your lifesaving blood, and contact Faith Sherman by email if you can help serve at the event.
Children of Hope: Children of Hope Orphan & Foster Child Ministry, a ministry of several Des Moines-area churches, works with local and global missions to serve children in orphanges and foster care. In 2009, Children of Hope donated more than 628 backpagcks (with overnight items) to DHS through the Backpacks for Foster Kids mission. The goal is to provide a backpack for every child who enters foster care in Polk County (that's about 125 children each month). Volunteers have opportunities to serve through missions; to assist in building awareness of the children's needs and God's call to serve them; and to be a resource for families interested in adoption or foster parenting. Anyone with a heart for children can be involved. Go to www.childrenofhopewdm.org for more information.
DMARC Food Pantry Collection: Non-perishable food items are donated and collected in the Zion grocery cart located in the Fellowship Hall and taken to the Des Moines Area Religious Council emergency food pantry at 3816 - 36th Street. The pantry packages and distributes the food to social service agencies throughout Des Moines. Cash is the most useful donation, but items such as canned fruit and vegetables, canned meat, cereal, rice, instant potatoes, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and sauce are needed. This opportunity provides an excellent teaching moment for children to bring food for the food pantry. The food is taken to DMARC the third Sunday of every month. Anyone interested in helping transport the collected food to DMARC may call Gary Hermann at 515-253-0766.
Freedom for Youth Ministries: Freedom for Youth Ministries offers the love of Jesus Christ to homeless and at-risk youth which empowers them to break bondages in their lives, discover their God-given purpose and lead a life filled with faith, hope and love. www.freedomforyouth.org
Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity: Zion teams with area churches to demonstrate Christian love by helping families realize the dream of home ownership. We are currently open to leadership in the volunteer ministry. www.gdmhabitat.org
Homeless Outreach - Sack Lunch Program: "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." - Proverbs 22:9. The Sack Lunch Program takes place the third Saturday of every month from 9:00 - 10:00 am in Zion's Fellowship Hall. Once the lunches are prepared, the team gathers together and lifts the lunches up in prayer before heading out to the homless camps. Lunches are distributed from 10:30 am - 2:00 pm to many camps around the city and along the Des Moines River. The program runs entireley on member donations. Please contact Cheryl Feickert at 515-279-4961 if you are interested in participating and/or donating to this very worthwhile mission.
Hope Ministries: Zion supports Hope Ministries' mission of share the gospel by meeting the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of men, women, and children who are homeless or are in need of hope. www.hopeiowa.org
Hope Ministries Clothes Closet: Zion serves as a collection point for donated clothing for the Hope Ministries Clothes Closet. The collection bins are in the Fellowship Hall.
Interfaith Network Family Shelter: IFN brings churches together to help families regain their housing, their independence, and their dignity by providing temporary lodging. Zion hopes to begin this ministry in the second half of 2010. If you would like more information about this opportunity, please visit www.dmihn.org or contact Chris Miller by email.
Love Fund: Zion's Love Fund is a mission to serve our Zion Family. The mission is three-fold. It can help members with small gifts when they come up short financially because of a job loss, flat tire, or something unexpected. In the past is has helped sponsor sessions of marriage counseling for families in distress and counseling for some of our youth who struggle with depresession or other issues. Is is also a meal-ministry for members during times of celebration, sickness, or grief when receiving a meal is helpful. The third part of the mission is compassion. Our pastors can help members look at their situation and offer guidance in difficult times. Support the Love Fund today by making meals for our freezer, delievering meals to our members, or with a financial gift (simply put "Love Fund" in the memo). Questions about the Love Fund can be directed to Carol Murken.
Meals from the Heartland: Help Package Meals! Every 3.5 seconds someone in the world dies of hunger. What if there was something you could do about it? Every fall thousands of people come together in Des Moines to package millions of meals for starving children. Please commit to being one of those volunteers. You could also consider making a tax-deductible contribution. Every 25 cents donated funds one meal, and $25.00 provides 100 meals. It is faster than ever to support this cause: just visit www.mealsfromtheheartland.org to make your contribution today. Every gift of any size is important and appreciated.
Reggie's Place: Reggies Place Coffee Shop under the direction of the Iowa Homeless Youth Center provides homeless and runaway young people support and services to stay off of the streets. The coffee shop is open on Friday and Saturday nights at 701 Grand Avenue for youth to get away from the streets and have a warm meal. The third Saturday of every month, Zion prepares and serves a meal at the center at 6:45 pm. The group spends time sharing Christ's love through listening, playing games, watching movies, and any other activities the kids enjoy. Anyone interested in participating may contact Cheryl Feickert at 515-279-4961.
Riverside Bible Camp: Riverside's mission is to know Jesus Christ and to make Christ known to all. It provides a Christ-centered camping experience for children and adults of all ages. Zion is pleased to offer "camperships" to every Zion member attending camp at Riverside. These are available because of the generosity of the congregation through offerings during Lent at the midweek Teaching Service. To learn more about Riverside, visit www.riversidelbc.org or contact Brent Osborne.
Ruth Harbor: Making a difference two lives at a time! Ruth Harbor is a Christ-centered home for young women who are alone and facing unplanned pregnancies. "Ruth" means compassion. "Harbor" means a place of refuge, safety, retreat, or shelter. Partner with us to meet the needs of young women with safe refuge, counseling, and parenting classes. You can help with prayer, volunteering, or donating gifts to their wish list. www.ruthharbor.org
Urban Ministries Supper Club: The purpose of this mission is to feed the hungry. Zion members provide the food and workers for three evening meals a year for the Supper Club Program coordinated by Urban Ministries. The meals are served at Trinity United Methodist Church at 1548 - 8th Street in Des Moines. Zion serves a child-friendly meal of tacos, baked beans, gelatin, and cake. We serve more than 100 people, with 50% or more being children. We serve the fourth Monday of April, July, and November. Volunteers are needed to provided food and services. Sign-up sheets are in Zion's lobby as the dinner-date nears. You can contact Chris Miller by email or call her at 515-270-1897 if you have questions.
Whiz Kidz Tutoring: We believe God created every child to be loved. How do we love the children? Through people like you who care enough to tutor one of our elementary children. We believe God is calling the church to love these kids and point them to Him. In short, we need you! Whether you're tutoring at the Whiz Kidz sessions at Zion or want to know how else you can get involved, we invite you to visit the Freedom for Youth website at www.freedomforyouth.org to learn more and get involved.